Harvest #13 (Week A) should include zucchini, beets, carrots, sweet peppers, fresh onions, scallions, tomatoes, fresh garlic, lettuce, italian dandelion, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, watermelon, cantaloupe, and herbs. Some items will be a choice. U-pick should include cherry/grape tomatoes, green/snap/string beans, tomatillos, flowers, and herbs.

Some of your farmers left the farm for a brief trip so this week's reflections will hopefully be brief. Harvest week 13 is underway which means we're about at this season's midpoint. Meanwhile I sit and look out at a rocky coastline during low tide while wearing a flannel shirt for warmth under cloudy skies. Our farm crew is currently hustling and bustling under a hot sun on a hot day on a busy harvest morning. Our incredible farm crew has enabled us to take an off-farm excursion. We're extremely appreciative of their efforts, knowledge, and hard work managing the farm in our absence. Cheers to everyone back at the farm!

The farm is currently stuck in a dry spell. In four week's time we've had less than an inch of rain. Plenty of 90 degree days and plentiful sunshine have left plants very thirsty. The bulk of my time last week was spent addressing those needs, adding drip tape tubing where possible and running irrigation almost everywhere. We even set up some overhead sprinklers which we haven't used for a few years. Newly germinated fall-harvested carrots would have a hard time accessing water from the drip tape but the sprinklers deposit water over an entire surface area.

Summer crops are at their peak (patiently waiting for eggplant and okra) and fall crops are being planted. Last week more napa cabbage, beets, chard, kale, and lettuce went in as well as arugula and daikon and storage radishes. The north facing aspect and pretty good organic matter in the soil helps our crops tolerate dry times. Even though it's stressful in its own right, we'd much rather it be too dry than too wet. Those same heavy soils that get us through a drought can drown and suffocate plants during unending wet times, which we've been through a few times over the years.

Hope you're well and are able to stay cool this week. Give an extra 'thanks' to your farm crew for us!

This week's light workshift schedule:

Please bring gloves, water, a hat, and sturdy shoes! We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Workshift Guidelines. Workshift Sign Up Instructions.

I abbreviated How I Enjoyed My Harvest because I got several great ideas from fellow members this week.

Mindy Bence has been an Anchor Run member since it's inception and did the recipes for the first few years until I started doing it. She is a terrific cook and sent me a recipe called Simple Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce. I can't wait to try this! Mindy wrote this note to me: "Oh my Gosh - we just found a way to cut our tomato waste to ZERO! Jeff loves tomatoes, but we have a full share and I don't eat any nightshades, so I needed to find a way to preserve the yummy tomatoes! All you need is a sheet pan (often called a 1/4 sheet - it is rimmed 12 x 17". Mine are Calphalon; I have 4 and they are some of most used kitchen pans), some good olive oil, some garlic, (recipe called for a shallot and I subbed 3 scallions) and easy peasy sauce! This was so good, Jeff asked for a juice glass of it as a beverage!" Check it out with the bounty of tomatoes we are receiving - I know I will!

Casey Constantini sent me a note saying "I wanted to share a recipe I made with ingredients from this week’s share. It’s a delicious Salsa Verde that uses tomatillos, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro and onions. It turned out great and would be an awesome addition to tacos, enchiladas or just to dip chips in!" I am eager to try this, because unlike other tomatillo salsa recipes, everything gets roasted together.

Another inaugural Anchor Run member, Robin Hoy sent me a recipe for Indonesian/Asian-Style Tempeh with Veggies. Robin said she combined a few recipes to come up with this one. It uses a wonderful variety of veggies we are receiving and I am looking forward to trying this dish!

Thanks to all for sharing and please email me at lindadansbury@comcast.net, and please put Anchor Run in subject line so I can find your email.

This week, we enjoyed more of the same, simple preps, with a couple additions:

Okra, onion, pepper, garlic, herbs - made the delicious Louisiana Gumbo. It is much lighter than traditional gumbos, making it a nice summer treat (of course not so much during a heat wave).

Okra - made a tempura batter fried okra with an Asian style dipping sauce. It was good, but the batter needs a bit of work so we will try again.

Tomatoes, peppers, onion, basil - I grew up eating this delicious salad and to this day I find it addictive. Peel the tomatoes and cut into chunks (peeling can be a bit of a pain, but it is worth the effort). Chop peppers into thin strips, onions into thin slices and just a hint of garlic minced or grated. Julienne some basil. Place all in a bowl adding salt, pepper and dried oregano to taste. Drizzle a bit of red wine vinegar and good quality olive oil, mix and enjoy. Make sure you have some delicious crusty bread to soak up the dressing left in the bowl - it is delicious!

Send me how you are enjoying your harvest by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net.